By Roldolf Mensah-Akabah
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) appears to be pushing for the
best comedy award following its gruesome defeat in the last general elections.
In spite of its cacophonous claims that the elections were
rigged and its threat to go to court, it's National Chairman Jake Obetsetbi –
Lamptey says that the party would not be stampeded into providing evidence to
back its allegations.
“We will go to court when we want” he loudly proclaimed in
an interview with Joy FM.
Jake sounds as if he and his party are under pressure to
provide the concrete evidence and he is boldly resisting the pressure.
The truth however, is that it is the NPP which without any
external prompting threatened to go to court perhaps to get a declaration that
Nana Akufo- Addo, its presidential
candidate will be president indeed.
After 13 long days of waiting, the NPP has failed to provide
a shred of evidence that the elections were rigged and its operatives and
sympathizers are busily jumping from one street to the other in wild
demonstrations.
The NPP now says that it is looking for the evidence.
The question which pops up is why did it claim that the
elections were rigged when it had not found the evidence?
The comedy has not ended yet. Act 1 scene 11 opens with the General
Secretary of the NPP whose real name is Kwadwo Owusu Afriyei but likes to be
called Sir John foaming at the mouth.
He is in a fit of anger and he declares that his party aims
at making Ghana ungovernable.
The very first step he takes is to call for a demonstration
and lo and behold only 500 people turned up.
What a way to make the country ungovernable!
The other day another joker in the NPP sent out a text
message to all faithfuls. It simply read “Gbagbo cancelled Ouatarra's figures, rushed to the
Constitutional Council to declare him
president. Ouatarra collated his results, put the figures out and
it was clear he had won massively. Why should we keep quite when I million
votes have been stolen?. We should be careful about legitimizing illegalities
in this country all in the name of peace.
We the NPP are insisting on the right thing. Nobody will fight. JDM
hasn't been sworn in as president yet.”
Who will tell, these jokers that it is not possible to just
copy everything which happened in La Cote d'Ivoire?
In any case where is the evidence that I million votes have
been stolen?
Isn't it just amazing that the NPP is still insisting on
taking power when it won in only two of the ten regions of Ghana?
Is the party not ashamed of the fact that it doesn't have a
national character?
Serious people in the NPP must be deeply worried about the
reputation the party is building for itself.
Fact is since 1951; the Danquah Busia tradition has
disputed every election it did not win.
The only elections it has accepted as free and fair have
been the 1969, 2000 and 2004 elections.
Strangely, it even
considers the 1966 elections in which the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) and
its leading activists were banned as free and fair.
The NPP comedy is not about to end any time soon.
There are credible reports that a small band of adventurists
are planning to swear-in Nana Akufo- Addo in Kumasi on January 7, 2013 as the
President of Ghana.
How reckless can anybody be?
We may all choose to laugh at the infantile antics coming
from the NPP but need to take it that it may also be very destabilizing.
The red lines must not be crossed!. No!!
Mahama Roots for Alan
 |
| Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen |
The 57-year-old economist and former Ambassador of Ghana to the United States has expressed a desire to change the WTO if he is to take over after Pascal Lamy, whose mandate expires on September 1st of next year, leaves his post.
Previously, a number of countries
announced their intention to nominate candidates, including Brazil, New
Zealand, Jordan and Mauritius.
The process for making nominations
began on December 1 and will end at the end of the month.
After all nominations are received
consultation will begin among the 157 member countries of the WTO with the name
of the new head to be announced by May.
President John Dramani Mahama has
already fully endorsed his candidature.
Editorial
GREAT
GESTURE BUT……
President John Dramani Mahama
is increasingly demonstrating his maturity as a leader.
It is clear that he is not weighed
down by partisan political considerations and is ready to go the extra mile if
it is in Ghana's interest so to do.
The decision of President Mahama to back the
candidature of Mr. Alan Kyeremateng for the post of Director –General of the
World Trade Organisation fits perfectly into this mould.
It is apparent that Kyeremateng's political
colours do not matter and that what is important is that a qualified Ghanaian
needs the support of his country to excel on the world stage.
While commending the president
for his general attitude, we wish to stress the point that the allocation of
big posts on the international stage to Ghanaians can only be useful if the
beneficiaries work to change the world economic and information order.
This order which has been
designed to keep the “developing world” in a perpetual state of slavery needs
to be uprooted and replaced by one which promotes the interests of all people.
The World Trade Organisation as
it currently operates serves more the interest of imperialist and neo-colonial
masters.
Our question is will Mr. Alan Kyeremateng be a
true representative of the exploited and oppressed peoples of the world?
For us, it is more important to have a fighter
for justice and equality on the World Trade Organisation than just another
Ghanaian big man.
We wish Mr. Alan Kyeremateng
well.
The necessity of acting
fast in Mali
By Fabian Scherer
President of Niger, Mahamadou
Issoufou, urged the international community to act quickly, fearing that the
Islamist movements might otherwise spread to Mali’s neighbouring countries.
On 17
December 2012, African leaders renewed their call for an urgent military
intervention in northern Mali to drive away Al-Qaeda linked groups, which have
been controlling the region for more than half a year now.
 |
| Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou |
The
United Nations, however, have expressed concerns about the planned deployment
of 3 300 ECOWAS troops, and warned that a final intervention might take another
year.
Apparently, the African neighbours of Mali do not want to wait so long to support the West African country, which has undergone political chaos since the Touareg rebellion, and has renewed its call for independence from the deserted north of Mali more than half a year ago. Islamic extremist groups had first backed the claims of the Touaregs, but later replaced their separatist efforts with severe Islamist ideology. Since then, the north of the country has fallen under the control of those Islamic groups, which have implemented a cruel version of Shariah law, oppressing the Malian population.
Apparently, the African neighbours of Mali do not want to wait so long to support the West African country, which has undergone political chaos since the Touareg rebellion, and has renewed its call for independence from the deserted north of Mali more than half a year ago. Islamic extremist groups had first backed the claims of the Touaregs, but later replaced their separatist efforts with severe Islamist ideology. Since then, the north of the country has fallen under the control of those Islamic groups, which have implemented a cruel version of Shariah law, oppressing the Malian population.
Nevertheless,
the United Nations Security Council has expressed concerns that a rushed
military intervention might prevent a peaceful solution to the conflict. When
it approved the ECOWAS plans in October, it also urged Mali to initiate
negotiations with the different conflicting parties. Ansar Dine, one of the
three Islamic groups holding the country’s north, and which is regarded as
rather moderate Islamist, has declared earlier this month that it would support
the requests of the central government in Bamako. The two other groups, which
are deeply connected to Al-Qaeda, have not yet buckled under the threat of a
military intervention. Instead, it was reported that Algerian fighters were
crossing the border to support Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Justifiably,
the President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, urged the international community
to act quickly, fearing that the Islamist movements might otherwise spread to
Mali’s neighbouring countries. Regarding Niger, he said “Our sub-region faces
unprecedented threats, including terrorism and organized crime, which together
make for an explosive situation. They will not spare any of our countries.”
Indeed, the UN’s announcement that military interventions would be possible in
late 2013 at earliest give the radical groups in Mali enough time to take
counter-measures.
While the ECOWAS troops will be restricted by a tight regional mandate, the rebel fighters’ hands are not similarly tied. Borders within the area are long and almost impossible to control. It would therefore be easier for them to shift their activities to other neighbouring countries.
While the ECOWAS troops will be restricted by a tight regional mandate, the rebel fighters’ hands are not similarly tied. Borders within the area are long and almost impossible to control. It would therefore be easier for them to shift their activities to other neighbouring countries.
In
the end, the planned military intervention is not so much about liberating the
north of Mali, but more about pushing back the influence of radical Islamists
within the whole region. Neighbouring countries fear that Islamist movements
could extend to their territories, and the hesitant attitude of the United
Nations might underline those concerns.
Giving the rebel groups enough time to develop strategies to avoid military confrontation will not help to promote potential peace talks, it will instead lead to a reallocation of Islamic extremists within West African countries. The United Nations would be well advised to acknowledge that and to enable a fast military intervention, if they do not want to deploy another peacekeeping mission in Africa in the future.
Giving the rebel groups enough time to develop strategies to avoid military confrontation will not help to promote potential peace talks, it will instead lead to a reallocation of Islamic extremists within West African countries. The United Nations would be well advised to acknowledge that and to enable a fast military intervention, if they do not want to deploy another peacekeeping mission in Africa in the future.
Pentagon prepares military operation in Mali
It’s only December, but it looks
like the Pentagon has all planned out how they’ll spend a good part of 2013. US
officials now claim that the Defense Department is busy preparing a military
operation in the nation of Mali.
 |
| An American Drone |
United States officials with
knowledge of the matter tell the Washington Post that the Department of Defense
and the US State Department will assist next year in a mission to overthrow
Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qaeda who took under control a significant
part of Mali, a small West African country that is still picking itself up
after a coup this past March.
Earlier this year, military officers
displaced the administration of then-President Amandou Toumani Toure, claiming
that he was reluctant in addressing the extremist issue himself. However since
then the military junta failed to improve security in the country and retake
control of the northern part of Mali captured by the Islamists.Now the US is
claiming that it’s ready to help the military rulers, even though it may be a
clear violation of American laws: the Pentagon cannot assist first-hand with
people responsible for ousting a democratically elected leader. That doesn’t
mean, however, that Washington won’t find a way to send support overseas.
According to testimonies from
officials speaking to the Post, both the Pentagon and State Department will
assist opposition to the terrorists by training, equipping and transporting
troops to tackle what Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Delaware) has called “the
largest territory controlled by Islamic extremists in the world.”
Speaking on the record, though, the Pentagon’s deputy assistant secretary for Africa tells the paper that US influence might not end there.
“There’s plenty of other forms of
information and intelligence that are circulating that give us enough insight
for planning purposes,” the Defense
Department’s Amanda J. Dory tells the Post this week. According to the paper,
Dory also floated the possibility of US warplanes being deployed to North Arica
to provide troops there with aerial protection.
“We definitely don’t know how that
would work out,” Dory says.
In advance of next year’s expected
war, the State Department and the Treasury announced this week that they have
blacklisted two Mali extremist groups, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West
Africa, as terrorists officially in the eyes of Uncle Sam. The Associated Press
reports that doing such will make any of those groups’ members ineligible to
receive assistance from the US or conduct business, the start of crippling
sanctions expected to continue until eventual military intervention.
Meanwhile, though, the wheels are
indeed in motion in terms of starting to send US support towards Mali. On
Wednesday, Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary for African Affairs under US
President Barack Obama, said "We have sent military planners to [the
Economic Community of West African States] to assist with the continued
development and refinement of the plans for international intervention.”
Carson acknowledged that US
assistance will be needed in order to overthrow al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, or
AQIM, but added, “it must be African-led; it must be Malian-led.”
It is sanction time for Israel
By Jim W. Dean
Israel fell into a carefully laid trap on Thursday December
10, 2012 by refusing to allow inspections of its weapons of mass destruction
facilities. This has opened the door for the only possible response. It is
sanction time for the Israelis. Let them reap what they have sown. And let us
do what we must do.
 |
| Isareli Nuke Sites |
If the shoe were on the other foot, the Zios would be screaming to have the
facilities bombed, but we won’t do that. The WMD contamination would be a
disaster. Even conventional weapons landing just on their nuclear waste sites
would create a catastrophe for anyone down wind. It’s the cheap way of making a
conventional warhead go nuclear, using the target’s own waste material.
Netanyahu played his role as expected. Straight out of the Talmud, his coalition does not accept demands from the non-Jewish sub-humans. He will bet the farm on the Jewish Lobbies in the main Western countries, that they can bully their host country legislatures to do their bidding. They have a long track record.
In America this is a bipartisan campaign. The Senate Democrats and Republicans passed the new Iran sanctions bill, drafted by Israeli intelligence operatives as usual.
Canada, which is the Mossad’s western hemisphere base, will rubber stamp anything coming out of Tel Aviv. She has slid a long way down the humanity scale since WWII, when their great PM Mackenzie King refused to sign onto a post war plan to ‘depopulate Germany.’
The other Allied leaders wanted to kill off 20 million men, women and children through starvation. Their goal was removing Germany’s need to be an export competitor to earn the needed foreign exchange to buy the food for its population.
When the plan was leaked to a shocked world, the villains pretended it had only been a working paper, when it had actually been a signed mass murder document. Where are the Mackenzie Kings of our day when we need them? Was the Palestinian UN vote a hint that some are coming out of incubation?
This post-war planned crime against humanity, against a defenseless people, was of course never prosecuted. To add to this shame the victor’s court historians have ignored it all these years. Real historians like David Irving were attacked for printing the forbidden truth and made examples of to cower the rest of the sheep. And yes, Jewish lobbies had their fingerprints all over the dirty deed.
But the Israelis have huge amounts of blackmail material collected over decades on most Western leaders and legislators. They certainly will not hesitate to use this to stop any sanctions effort. There will have to be a grass roots effort to clean house. All those who have aided and abetted in Israel’s crimes will need to be sanctioned, also.
There is no point to taking out a repressive leader and leaving the repressive infrastructure in place.
A new leader will be found in a day to carry on the former work. But we do have a template to use on Israel from WWII, the Japanese one.
Israel must not only be de-nuclearized but de-militarized just like Japan was, and for similar reasons. Both wanted growing space, and used their military power to get it. Japan’s target was Asia. For Israel it is every country on the planet.
To militant Israelis we non-Jews are just two-legged farm animals. As their chief rabbi publicly declared, the rest of us are here to serve Jews. The Likud party people really like that part and they are big fans of the rabbi.
Israel has mounted offensive espionage operations across the entire world. The Palestinian UN vote showed that not even the tiny Micronesia countries, including the make-believe ones under water, escaped their targeting for control and dependable UN voting.
Can Israelis actually do this with just their resources in Israel? Of course not. Israeli 5th columns operate everywhere. They are used as a human shield of sorts to deflect any mention of disloyalty as based on anti-Semitism only.
It is an open secret in the Intel community that no Western country will prosecute any Israeli espionage. This is a breach of all of their leadership oaths to defend their country. Of course those countries that reject domination, and do defend their people from the Zios, are considered threats.
So we have the incredible irony of those who sat in judgment at Nuremberg, and hanged people for ‘waging an aggressive war,’ are now breaching their own precedent and demanding immunity out of the barrel of a gun. They dishonor the deaths of all those who lost their live in that conflict. They stain Western civilization and jurisprudence by betraying it.
The Israeli regime also provides us a tried and true sanctions template. Once Israel is ‘officially’ deemed a security threat to all the rest of us… we just build a wall… around the entire country. The difference this time the Army Corp of Engineers will not build it like they did around Gaza, and the American taxpayers pay for it. We will give that honor to Israel’s victims.
The pro-Israeli Diaspora and their friends like the Christian Zionists can pay for it. The latter can use the money they have donated to the WMD Regime to clean it up like a nuclear waste site, which in many respects I believe we will find when the inspectors get in there.
David Ben Gurion Airport will get to see what it is like with no planes coming in or leaving. Yes people, I mean that kind of wall, just like Gaza. If they protest just tell them that Jim Dean said if it was good enough to dish out to the Gazans deemed a threat with no WMD, then it is certainly fair for one Israel that has.
The US will have multiple exposures here, not only for the black projects and billons pumped into Israel while Americans are being third-worlded to pay for it all back at home. We also waved India past the IAEA inspection process, which assured that Pakistan would keep investing in its own nuclear deterrent, which it can ill afford.
Why has America done this? The only feasible reason I can see is a desperate attempt by those behind the military industrial complex to replace the Soviet Cold War with the Neo-China one. The bogeyman drum was being beaten for China, another country endeavoring to build up its defensive capabilities.
Why do more Americans not connect the two dots that making an enemy threat out of anyone wanting to defend themselves is very undemocratic? It is not a difficult hoax to see through.
How many military bases does China have in Canada and Mexico? And how about those Chinese S400 type ground-to-air missiles lining up on our southern border and the ten warhead medium-range missiles being installed ‘to protect Chinese and Mexican interests?
How would Americans react to this? But here is the big question. Why would they act the same way… when it is not happening? Who really is our enemy in such a twisted scenario?
The rank and file Americans are victims in all this. The war costs have been just a tool to transfer wealth to the super rich, and I mean the cash. The troops and factory workers get IOU’s and paper stock certificates. The average Israelis are getting robbed themselves. Even their ‘Holocaust’ funds get looted. At last count a third of Israel’s ‘survivors’ were eating in soup kitchens.
The American version of this looting hustle was taking place on Capitol Hill today with an expert testifying on Iran as a threat to the Caucus region. He was of course surprise - surprise - an Israeli expert, Ariel Cohen.
I took a look at Cohen’s bio at the Heritage Foundation and he has the grooming profile of the classic Israeli asset. Israel has tons of them working out of numerous think tanks here and in Canada. Many have become Mossad hostels of a sort.
His expert testimony was shocking to say the least. I will try not to make you sick by just showing a few points from his conclusions.
Netanyahu played his role as expected. Straight out of the Talmud, his coalition does not accept demands from the non-Jewish sub-humans. He will bet the farm on the Jewish Lobbies in the main Western countries, that they can bully their host country legislatures to do their bidding. They have a long track record.
In America this is a bipartisan campaign. The Senate Democrats and Republicans passed the new Iran sanctions bill, drafted by Israeli intelligence operatives as usual.
Canada, which is the Mossad’s western hemisphere base, will rubber stamp anything coming out of Tel Aviv. She has slid a long way down the humanity scale since WWII, when their great PM Mackenzie King refused to sign onto a post war plan to ‘depopulate Germany.’
The other Allied leaders wanted to kill off 20 million men, women and children through starvation. Their goal was removing Germany’s need to be an export competitor to earn the needed foreign exchange to buy the food for its population.
When the plan was leaked to a shocked world, the villains pretended it had only been a working paper, when it had actually been a signed mass murder document. Where are the Mackenzie Kings of our day when we need them? Was the Palestinian UN vote a hint that some are coming out of incubation?
This post-war planned crime against humanity, against a defenseless people, was of course never prosecuted. To add to this shame the victor’s court historians have ignored it all these years. Real historians like David Irving were attacked for printing the forbidden truth and made examples of to cower the rest of the sheep. And yes, Jewish lobbies had their fingerprints all over the dirty deed.
But the Israelis have huge amounts of blackmail material collected over decades on most Western leaders and legislators. They certainly will not hesitate to use this to stop any sanctions effort. There will have to be a grass roots effort to clean house. All those who have aided and abetted in Israel’s crimes will need to be sanctioned, also.
There is no point to taking out a repressive leader and leaving the repressive infrastructure in place.
A new leader will be found in a day to carry on the former work. But we do have a template to use on Israel from WWII, the Japanese one.
Israel must not only be de-nuclearized but de-militarized just like Japan was, and for similar reasons. Both wanted growing space, and used their military power to get it. Japan’s target was Asia. For Israel it is every country on the planet.
To militant Israelis we non-Jews are just two-legged farm animals. As their chief rabbi publicly declared, the rest of us are here to serve Jews. The Likud party people really like that part and they are big fans of the rabbi.
Israel has mounted offensive espionage operations across the entire world. The Palestinian UN vote showed that not even the tiny Micronesia countries, including the make-believe ones under water, escaped their targeting for control and dependable UN voting.
Can Israelis actually do this with just their resources in Israel? Of course not. Israeli 5th columns operate everywhere. They are used as a human shield of sorts to deflect any mention of disloyalty as based on anti-Semitism only.
It is an open secret in the Intel community that no Western country will prosecute any Israeli espionage. This is a breach of all of their leadership oaths to defend their country. Of course those countries that reject domination, and do defend their people from the Zios, are considered threats.
So we have the incredible irony of those who sat in judgment at Nuremberg, and hanged people for ‘waging an aggressive war,’ are now breaching their own precedent and demanding immunity out of the barrel of a gun. They dishonor the deaths of all those who lost their live in that conflict. They stain Western civilization and jurisprudence by betraying it.
The Israeli regime also provides us a tried and true sanctions template. Once Israel is ‘officially’ deemed a security threat to all the rest of us… we just build a wall… around the entire country. The difference this time the Army Corp of Engineers will not build it like they did around Gaza, and the American taxpayers pay for it. We will give that honor to Israel’s victims.
The pro-Israeli Diaspora and their friends like the Christian Zionists can pay for it. The latter can use the money they have donated to the WMD Regime to clean it up like a nuclear waste site, which in many respects I believe we will find when the inspectors get in there.
David Ben Gurion Airport will get to see what it is like with no planes coming in or leaving. Yes people, I mean that kind of wall, just like Gaza. If they protest just tell them that Jim Dean said if it was good enough to dish out to the Gazans deemed a threat with no WMD, then it is certainly fair for one Israel that has.
The US will have multiple exposures here, not only for the black projects and billons pumped into Israel while Americans are being third-worlded to pay for it all back at home. We also waved India past the IAEA inspection process, which assured that Pakistan would keep investing in its own nuclear deterrent, which it can ill afford.
Why has America done this? The only feasible reason I can see is a desperate attempt by those behind the military industrial complex to replace the Soviet Cold War with the Neo-China one. The bogeyman drum was being beaten for China, another country endeavoring to build up its defensive capabilities.
Why do more Americans not connect the two dots that making an enemy threat out of anyone wanting to defend themselves is very undemocratic? It is not a difficult hoax to see through.
How many military bases does China have in Canada and Mexico? And how about those Chinese S400 type ground-to-air missiles lining up on our southern border and the ten warhead medium-range missiles being installed ‘to protect Chinese and Mexican interests?
How would Americans react to this? But here is the big question. Why would they act the same way… when it is not happening? Who really is our enemy in such a twisted scenario?
The rank and file Americans are victims in all this. The war costs have been just a tool to transfer wealth to the super rich, and I mean the cash. The troops and factory workers get IOU’s and paper stock certificates. The average Israelis are getting robbed themselves. Even their ‘Holocaust’ funds get looted. At last count a third of Israel’s ‘survivors’ were eating in soup kitchens.
The American version of this looting hustle was taking place on Capitol Hill today with an expert testifying on Iran as a threat to the Caucus region. He was of course surprise - surprise - an Israeli expert, Ariel Cohen.
I took a look at Cohen’s bio at the Heritage Foundation and he has the grooming profile of the classic Israeli asset. Israel has tons of them working out of numerous think tanks here and in Canada. Many have become Mossad hostels of a sort.
His expert testimony was shocking to say the least. I will try not to make you sick by just showing a few points from his conclusions.
“Expand anti-terrorism and drug trafficking cooperation
between the US and the three South Caucus states, neutralizing Iranian subversion
activities in the region.”
 |
| Israeli Premiere Benjamin Nyetanahu |
My response: Mr. Cohen, how can you not know that all the drugs coming out of Afghanistan are being shipped out by American and Israeli ‘contractors’ with the three countries you mention getting their cut of the pie? And why did you not address this subversive activity as threat to the region when everyone in the military and intelligence business knows that it is true, including you?
“Uphold the interests of the small Southern Caucasian countries when attempting to construct an effective Iran policy which leads to the elimination of Tehran’s nuclear weapons program.”
Mr. Cohen, you must know the IAEA, Israeli and American Intel have all stated that the Iranians do not have a nuclear weapons program. Why would Iran want to prelude having a nuclear deterrent at some point in the future when they are in range of Israeli nuclear missiles with constant threats of launching a preemptive strike?
Your testimony Mr. Cohen is exactly what I would expect an Israeli agent to deliver at exactly this point in time to justify the Senate sanction vote as addressing a threat, when you are just doing some ‘pre-staging’ work for Israel. It’s an old game what you did today.
But thank you just the same. You have validated all the reasons why Israel also deserves to be sanctioned as a rogue state. You were doing double duty today just like Netanyahu was with his ‘bugger off’ on the WMD inspections.
We now have a long Israeli list to work with, multi-decades of extensive WMD programs, drug trafficking, terrorist operations, destabilizing countries, money laundering, blood diamonds, human trafficking, waging offensive wars, and crimes against humanity. And yes, we know Israeli special operations people were killing US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s in the classified reports.
What would you say sir about you and I working together to write up a joint statement to deliver to the Congressional committee on this threat? I would even be willing to do most of the work. It would be a good change of pace for you.
EISA ELECTION OBSERVER
MISSION TO THE 7TH DECEMBER 2012 PRESIDENTIAL AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN
GHANA
INTERIM STATEMENT
1. Introduction
Following an invitation by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) deployed a twenty five member Election Observer Mission to the 2012 Ghana Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.
INTERIM STATEMENT
1. Introduction
Following an invitation by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) deployed a twenty five member Election Observer Mission to the 2012 Ghana Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.
The
EISA Election Observer Mission was led by Mr. Ahmed Issack Hassan, the
Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Kenya,
assisted by the Deputy Mission Leader, Mr. Vincent Tohbi, Director of
Programmes at EISA.
The
members of the Mission were drawn from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and
Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) from thirteen countries namely Burundi,
Canada, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sweden, South
Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
 |
| Mr Ahmed Issack Hassan |
The
deployment of the mission was consistent with EISA’s mission of “the promotion
of credible elections, citizen participation and the strengthening of political
institutions for sustainable democracy in Africa”. The EISA mission was
equipped with high tech computer tablets which it used to transmit information
regarding the pre-voting, voting and post-voting processes from its various
teams across the country to the Mission Command Centre located at the MÓ§venpick Hotel in Accra
in real time.
The
Mission noted significant efforts made by the Ghanaian electoral stakeholders
to improve the voter registration through adopting biometric technology in a
bid to enhance the credibility and integrity of the voters register. The 2012
elections were therefore a litmus test on the newly adopted biometric voter
registration which produced new voter ID cards.
The
EISA Mission commends the enthusiastic and generally peaceful participation of
the Ghanaian citizens in the elections. The Mission further extends its
gratitude to the electoral stakeholders and the people of Ghanafor their
hospitality and for having availed themselves to meet and share their
perspectives on the electoral process with the Mission.
The
EISA Mission has made its preliminary observations, findings and
recommendations that are being presented in this Interim Statement. Our
observations are based on the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and
Governance, the Declaration of Principles for International Election
Observation, and the Principles for Election Management, Monitoring and
Observation (PEMMO) in the SADC Region.
EISA
will continue to follow the electoral process and will produce a comprehensive
final report upon the conclusion of the process. The report will provide an
in-depth analysis of the Mission’s observations, findings and recommendations.
2. Mission
Methodology
The
EISA Election Observer Mission adopted a short-term observation methodology.
The Mission deployed 9 teams on 4 December 2012 to nine out of the ten Regions
of Ghana namely, Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Greater Accra, Eastern,
Northern, Upper East, Western and Volta.
Prior
to deployment, the Mission conducted stakeholders briefings from 2nd December
to 3rd December 2012. A number of stakeholders in the electoral process made
presentations on the Ghana electoral and political history, the current
electoral process and the preparedness of the various institutions. The
stakeholders included civil society organisations, the Electoral Commission
(EC), political parties, the police and the media. Besides the stakeholder
briefings, the Mission Leader, also met with the following dignitaries with
whom salient issues were discussed regarding the electoral process:
· Mr. John Kufuor, former Presidents of Ghana
· Mr. Jerry Rawlings, former President of Ghana
· Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria
· Mr. Jerry Rawlings, former President of Ghana
· Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria
On
Election Day, the EISA teams visited polling stations and observed the opening
of the poll, the voting and counting processes at the polling stations,
followed by the beginning of the tallying process in selected constituencies.
To ensure real time transmission of data collected in the field on Election
Day, all the 9 teams were equipped with innovative handheld android-based
tablets. These devices use the 3G mobile network to transmit the encrypted data
to an aggregation server. This server then streams the data to EISA intranet
where graphical data is generated.
This
enables a quicker analysis and mapping of the election observation information.
The EISA teams returned to Accra for a debriefing session today 8th December
2012. The EISA Observer Mission’s conclusion on the general elections in Ghana
is restricted to the period up to 8th December 2012.
4. Preliminary Findings
After
considering relevant legislation and documentation, briefings by electoral
stakeholders, media reports, direct observations made by its different teams
deployed on the ground, and basing its findings and recommendations on
guidelines contained in the aforementioned instruments, the EISA Mission has
made the following preliminary findings:
4.1 Political
Context of the 2012 General Elections
The
Mission notes Ghana’s democratic gains that have been made since 1992 and
congratulates the country’s leadership and the citizenry as a whole for
demonstrating political maturity over the decades. This was further made
evident during the transition following the untimely passing away of H.E.
President John Atta-Mills. The Mission further notes that the 2012 Presidential
and Parliamentary elections took place barely 4 months after the demise of the
President-a matter which could have easily triggered political instability had
it not been handled with care. The peaceful political transition during the
difficult moment in the country’s history contributed to a conducive
environment which was crucial for the conduct of the 7th December 2012
elections. 4
4.2 Legal Framework of the 2012 General
Elections
The
Mission has noted that the presidential and parliamentary elections are
governed by a set of laws and regulations, the most significant being: the
Constitution of Ghana (1992) and relevant statutory frameworks. As the basis
for citizen participation in the political and electoral process, the
Constitution makes detailed provision and safeguards for fundamental human
rights and freedoms and the protection of such rights by the courts. The
Constitution encapsulates representation of the people and affirms the right to
vote as a fundamental right.
The
Constitution also grants the Electoral Commission, a key institution in the
electoral process, roles, powers and functions to enable it to effectively
manage elections.
4.3 The Electoral System
Ghana uses a Two-Round system for the presidential election and the First-Past-The-Post system for parliamentary election. Particularly for the parliamentary election, the Mission noted that the electoral system does not give specific considerations to promote the participation of women and youth in public leadership. This system was criticised by stakeholders during their briefing to the Mission as it is viewed not favour the representation of smaller parties in parliament.
Ghana uses a Two-Round system for the presidential election and the First-Past-The-Post system for parliamentary election. Particularly for the parliamentary election, the Mission noted that the electoral system does not give specific considerations to promote the participation of women and youth in public leadership. This system was criticised by stakeholders during their briefing to the Mission as it is viewed not favour the representation of smaller parties in parliament.
4.4 Voter Registration and Voters’
Register
The Mission has noted that for the first time in the history of multi-party elections in Ghana, biometric voter registration was used to produce a new voter register and voter IDs. Whilst the EISA Mission noted this effort as progressive towards the enhancement of the integrity of the voter register, it is not necessarily without flaws. In addition to the biometric voter register, the law provides for the use of the biometric verification of voters as a pre-requisite to voting. The Mission noted that this provision gives a possibility of disenfranchising the already registered voters as a result of this provision.
The Mission has noted that for the first time in the history of multi-party elections in Ghana, biometric voter registration was used to produce a new voter register and voter IDs. Whilst the EISA Mission noted this effort as progressive towards the enhancement of the integrity of the voter register, it is not necessarily without flaws. In addition to the biometric voter register, the law provides for the use of the biometric verification of voters as a pre-requisite to voting. The Mission noted that this provision gives a possibility of disenfranchising the already registered voters as a result of this provision.
The
Mission noted that voter registration under the new dispensation went well
aside from instances where voters in some areas were not registered leading to
a court order instructing the EC to register them days before the election.
Another issue brought to the attention of the
Mission was the registration of minors. Different stakeholders raised concerns
regarding the credibility of the voters register. This notwithstanding, the
Mission noted that the presence of minors in the voters register was detected
by the EC itself and efforts were jointly made with stakeholders to discourage
the minors to register and vote. However, the Mission has not at this point
assessed the impact of the registration of minors on the electoral process.
4.5 The Electoral Campaign
The Mission observed that the election campaigns were generally peaceful. Despite mounting tensions closer to the polling day, the Mission noted with satisfaction the high level of tolerance between the various political parties and candidates. This owes partly to the inter-party conflict mechanism in the form of the Inter Parties Advisory Committee (IPAC) under which political parties in Ghana developed a Code of Conduct.
The Mission observed that the election campaigns were generally peaceful. Despite mounting tensions closer to the polling day, the Mission noted with satisfaction the high level of tolerance between the various political parties and candidates. This owes partly to the inter-party conflict mechanism in the form of the Inter Parties Advisory Committee (IPAC) under which political parties in Ghana developed a Code of Conduct.
The
Mission noted that most political parties mounted formidable campaign drives in
spite of not receiving state funding for their campaign. Parties in Ghana are
however not prohibited to raise funds from private sources of funding. Even so,
the Mission noted that there is no regulatory mechanism for campaign
expenditure in Ghana.
4.6 Role of the media
The
Mission notes with satisfaction the constructive role played by the media by
educating the citizens about the electoral process. Live debates among parties
and candidates on various policy issues were hosted by the various media
outlets. The Mission has noted with satisfaction that the media continues to
carry out its duty to inform the electorate on the election results as they are
made public by the EC.
4.7 The Role of Security Forces
The
Mission noted that the security agencies worked closely with the EC to ensure
maintenance of law and order throughout the electoral process. The security
agencies established a joint operations committee which mapped out potential
hotspots and devised mitigation strategies. During the polling and counting
processes, the EISA teams around the country observed high presence of the
security agents in a majority of the visited polling stations. 6
4.5 Civic
and Voter Education
The
Mission has noted the continuous efforts made by the EC, CSOs, political
parties and other stakeholders to educate citizens on the electoral process
since the dawn of multi-partism in 1992. This initiative was more evident ahead
of the 2012 elections particularly given the introduction of the new biometric
registration.
4.6 The Polling Process
The
Mission noted that there were a number of factors which led to the delays in
opening of some polling stations visited by the EISA teams. The main reason in
most cases was the late delivery of materials at the polling stations.
Although
the polling process proceeded smoothly in most polling stations visited, the
problem of verification of voters using the biometric voter machines was
observed in a number of stations. This led to a number of voters being
disqualified to vote despite their names being in the voters’ register.
4.7 Voter turnout
The mission
observed a high voter turnout in all the visited polling stations. There was a
noticeable high turnout of women and youth in most visited polling stations who
were enthusiastic to vote.
4.8 Party agents
The
Mission has noted with satisfaction that there was a strong presence of party
agents in all polling stations visited which ensured the transparency of the
polling process. Notably party agents were young people and this is a positive
step in that their involvement in the electoral process.
4.10 Gender Representation
The
Mission notes with concern that despite democratic gains made in Ghana, the
country still lags behind in ensuring gender balance in political
representation. There were no female candidates for the 2012 presidential
elections and very low percentage of female parliamentary candidates across all
parties. 7
Similar gender imbalance was glaring at the polling stations where few women were represented amongst the EC polling officials as observed by EISA teams. The majority of party agents (polling agents) were also male.
Similar gender imbalance was glaring at the polling stations where few women were represented amongst the EC polling officials as observed by EISA teams. The majority of party agents (polling agents) were also male.
4.11 Election Materials
Despite
the particular concern on defective biometric verification machines and the
late delivery of materials in some polling stations, the Mission noted with
satisfaction that electoral materials were in sufficient quantities throughout
the polling process where they arrived.
4.12 Secrecy of the Ballot
4.12 Secrecy of the Ballot
Whilst
the Mission noted that the polling booths were placed in a position that
enabled secrecy of voting, there were few observed incidences where the booths
were placed in a position which comprised the secrecy of the ballot
particularly in densely populated areas.
4.13 Polling officials
The
polling officials showed proper knowledge of the polling procedures manifesting
that training was well conducted. They were also clearly identifiable, easily
accessible and conducted voting operations with high level of transparency.
4.14 Closing
and Counting Process
All
polling stations were closed according to the election procedures. Voters on
the queue were allowed to vote at the of closing of polls. However, due to
technical failures of the biometric verification machines in certain polling
stations, the EC took a decision to continue with polling on Saturday the 8th
December 2012 in the affected polling stations.
In
all polling stations observed, the counting process was conducted in accordance
with the election procedures. The process took place in the presence of party
agents and observers hence ensuring transparency. 8
5. Preliminary Recommendations
Based
on the foregoing observations, the EISA Observer Mission makes the following
preliminary recommendations:
a)
Measures be taken to ensure greater opportunities for representation of women
and youth in political positions, Such measures may involve reforms on the
electoral system;
b)
Considerations be made to ensure provision of state funding for political
parties and regulation of campaign finance from private sources;
c)
Measures be taken to ensure that registered voters are not disenfranchised on
the basis of their rejection by the biometric voter registration machine;
d)
The EC should consider delivery of election materials at polling stations on
the eve of the elections rather than on morning of the polling day to avoid a
repeat of instances that led to delayed opening of polling in some polling
stations; and
e)
The EC should increase its capacity to mount its own logistics in the electoral
process
6. Conclusion
The
Mission would like to congratulate the people of Ghana for their overall
peaceful conduct during the electoral process thus far. Though there have been
challenges relating to the verification of voters before voting and late
delivery of materials in some areas, the Mission concludes that the 2012 Ghana
elections met regional, continental and international standards for credible
and transparent elections.
As we are releasing this statement, voting is still underway in some polling stations in the country. The Mission hopes that the same atmosphere will prevail during the remaining stages of the electoral process.
The
Mission appeals to political parties and independent candidates to accept the
outcome of the elections and to resort to the legally provided channels in the
event that they want to want to challenge this outcome.
Signed
on 8th December 2012
Mr.
Ahmed Issack Hassan,
Mission
Leader
MÓ§venpick Hotel
Accra,
Ghana
Christmas of murder
By Gordon Duff
During the past few weeks, America has shocked me. The vote
to maintain the suffering and degradation of the Palestinian people was
expected.
I cannot really claim that the bizarre and wildly conspiratorial lies about Syria and nuclear weapons, a news report I just viewed minutes ago, or the threat of chemical and biological weapon use, surprised me.
Then it hit me as though I had run into a wall at one hundred miles per hour.
America is voting to restrict visits by Russian nationals based on possible “war crimes” and is supporting similar attacks on Iran for their failure to adhere to America’s standards for human rights.
I keep saying it, as if it is a dream, “America’s standards for human rights…”
Without belaboring the point, I have watched my country
murder two million people during the last 11 years. During my lifetime, I have
watched America support death squads in three dozen nations, arm maniacal
regimes with weapons of mass destruction and, quite openly, flood the world
with narcotics while turning away from issues of mass murder and human
trafficking on every continent but Antarctica.
I see this and realize I live in a nation obsessed with religion, obsessed with “judgment” and utterly blind to what is inexorably an evil that has seeped into the very recesses of every aspect of American society.
Today, in Russia, millions are preparing for the “end of the world,” based on interpretations of the Mayan calendar.
When I look around, the indifference to justice, to humanity, to honor and decency, the willingness to engage in wholesale evil on a massive scale, and no rational person can assert that the American psyche is one iota other than described, the idea of the “end times” begins to make sense.
Are so many utterly blind that they can’t see how a divine hand would demand retribution against societies that are so inherently infested with what could only be described as a demonic presence?
Indifference transcends all today, torture, murder, starvation, cruelty, no matter the color, the race, the religion, it means nothing.
If you think I am kidding, if you feel I exaggerate, please read any American newspaper, watch any report, listen to our government, see what we do, for every voice of decency, the soulless silence of millions rings with a deafening crescendo.
America is a nation of churches. They dot our cities, our countryside, new ones every day. The days of the small church, the rural congregations are quickly giving way to “mega-churches.” Such things exist no place other than America, often prefabricated, tens of thousands of square feet, industrial buildings altered to take on the appearance of places of solemnity and worship.
We are told America is a Christian nation with up to 44% of Americans regularly attending religious services.
This is a critical time. Christians around the world look to the period each year chosen to represent the birth of Christ. What had been intended to be a message of spiritual renewal, of universal love, of ultimate humanity and transcendent goodness, a time of hope and replenishment has, during my lifetime, a short few decades, lost its meaning.
It feels strange, talking about Christmas. My own household was never religious but Christmas was always a magical time, not just one of gifts, but a mystical period that touched all of us, believers and non-believers alike.
Let me be more than clear, there are endlessly more “non-believers” in America than “believers,” particularly among those who regularly attend religious services.
The twentieth century set the stage for what was to follow. What had been represented as the great clashes, between philosophies, clashes between political theories, clashes between nation states over the resources of the world are now laid bare, as the new century has brought new vision.
Capitalism, the financial religion of “the West,” was proven
nothing but rehashed feudalism, with the barons and dukes replaced by petty
dictators and the shadow world government of organized crime, described by many
as “international finance.”
With few exceptions, every move toward human advancement and spiritual renewal was characterized as “radicalization.” A century of war builds a world of injustice, of filthy water, of poisoned food, of darkness and hopes for teeming billions dashed.
Whatever the people of the world accepted as their beliefs and hopes, nothing became so clear as the presence of an evil waiting to end a life, crush a dream, debase all innocence.
I can no longer watch the news; I can no longer listen to but a few world leaders.
Moreover, the real voices of reason are invariably those of the “terrorist.” Speak the truth and you are on a “watch list.” Demand justice and you become the fodder of a “drone attack.”
Thus, I look at America, judging the world; this leader is a “war criminal,” that one an “extremist,” and another, “sympathetic to ‘Al Qaeda.’”
Then I remember.
From the website HistoryCommons.org, the story of how and why the United States withdrew from participation in the International Criminal Court:
“May 6, 2002: US Withdraws from International Criminal Court Statute
In a letter to Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Annan, US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton writes: “This is to inform you, in connection with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court adopted on July 17, 1998, that the United States does not intend to become a party to the treaty. Accordingly, the United States has no legal obligations arising from its signature on December 31, 2000.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says, “The United States will regard as illegitimate any attempt by the court or state parties to the treaty to assert the ICC’s jurisdiction over American citizens.”
The ICC dates back to the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, and serves as the world’s first and most influential war crimes tribunal.
Bolton’s letter serves to both withdraw the US from the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, and relieves the US of its obligations under the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
US Will Not be ‘Second-Guessed’ - The Bush administration defends its action, contending that the treaty infringes on US sovereignty because, under its provisions, an international prosecutor answerable to no one could initiate politically motivated or frivolous suits against US troops, military officers or officials.
“We do not want anything to do with it,” an administration spokesman has said. The ICC is “unaccountable to the American people,” and “has no obligation to respect the constitutional rights of our citizens,” Rumsfeld says. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the ICC undermines US judicial sovereignty and the US could not be held accountable to a higher authority that might try “to second-guess the United States after we have tried somebody… We are the leader in the world with respect to bringing people to justice…
This is the official legal position of the nation that seeks
sanctions against Iran, that wants to limit the travel of those of other
nations that it believes may be subject to a system of justice that, if one
were to carefully read the text above, the government of the United States
officially repudiates.
America does not want to be “second guessed” as it believes its function is as “the leader in the world with respect to bringing people to justice…”
Does everyone see the insanity in this or is it just me?
Isaiah Abraham’s Murder: the wider implications to
South Sudanese society
By Steve Paterno
The cold blooded murder of Isaiah Abraham is a shock, but it
never came as a surprise to observers of South Sudan events, including this
writer.
South Sudan, a newly independent country is experiencing a cruel evolution, characterized with weak institutions, lack of capacity, incompetence, and gross corruption. Isaiah Abraham, better known to his family as Ding, or in full name as Isaiah Ding Abraham Chan Awuol, was lured out of his house in Juba at early morning hours of December 5th, 2012, by unknown assailants and then shot to death.
South Sudan, a newly independent country is experiencing a cruel evolution, characterized with weak institutions, lack of capacity, incompetence, and gross corruption. Isaiah Abraham, better known to his family as Ding, or in full name as Isaiah Ding Abraham Chan Awuol, was lured out of his house in Juba at early morning hours of December 5th, 2012, by unknown assailants and then shot to death.
 |
| South Sudan President Salva Kiir |
Born in mid 1960s, to a politically active family, from
Jonglei State of South Sudan, Isaiah Abraham grew up with a taste for knowledge
and a sense for political activism. When he finished his high school, he
immediately joined in the cause to liberate South Sudan—the SPLM/A. Isaiah
Abraham fought the war of liberation courageously, even sustaining injuries,
and having his biological brothers falling victims to the enemy. After the war
end, Isaiah Abraham pursued education in the country of Kenya, and established
himself as one of the most prominent South Sudanese writers, who comment on
important issues affecting South Sudan.
Isaiah Abraham, who in his best conviction, expect the best
for South Sudan was lucky to escape the enemies bullets, bombs, and land mines,
but unfortunately, was gunned down, by his own in the comfort of his house. The
murder of Isaiah Abraham, regardless of who murdered him and whatever the
motives, presents the following against South Sudan as a country, the society
and government:
First, there is no one in charge in South Sudan. Anyone can
order a hit against some one or anyone, without being held accountable.
Perhaps, some one already have a head of the president for certain amount,
while the president is event oblivious about his own role of being in charge.
Second, South Sudan government is killing its own citizens,
just like the Old Sudan, which managed to kill millions of South Sudanese
citizens, until South Sudan separated. People are asking for how long will the
killing continue in South Sudan, while the killing is going on....
Third, South Sudanese can never govern themselves. The
government of South Sudan is proving to be the most chaotic government in the
world, which is turning against its own citizens, and is killing them in great
numbers...
Fourth, tribalism, took over as oppose to nationalism.
Different tribes of South Sudan are fighting each other, forgetting about the
nation—South Sudan...
Fifth, South Sudan fell into the same Old Sudan system of
employing loyalists into the security services. The security personnel ended up
serving the interest of certain individuals as oppose to the national interest,
which is supposedly their mandate.
Sixth, the people of South Sudan are becoming more fearful
of their government, while the government is turning the people to be the
enemy.
Seventh, South Sudanese security agents, turns out to be the
killers of South Sudanese. This is contrary to the other system in advance
world, where security means protecting the citizens, not killing them.
Eighth, freedom of press is being suppressed in South Sudan.
The new country is becoming a fertile ground of silencing voices of freedom,
democracy and freedom of expression. Journalists are harassed, intimidated and
even killed.
Ninth, people of South Sudan are yarning for change—a change
for better.
Tenth, it is now up to the government to prove otherwise, by
bringing into justice the killers of Isaiah Abraham and take back the charge of
the country. The sentiment of South Sudanese is the very sentiment Isaiah
Abraham is able to express in writing, for the late is the spokesperson for
many silent voices.
Silencing Isaiah Abraham through a cruel means is a wrong
attempt in trying to silence the South Sudanese people. Killing Isaiah Abraham
actually multiply the voices for freedom as Isaiah Abraham embodied South
Sudanism. And freedom will prevail over the cruel hands that murder Isaiah
Abraham. The long arm of justice will eventually reach to snatch the killers of
Isaiah Abraham.
China congratulate
President Mahama
Hu Jintao, President of the People’s
Republic of China has congratulated President John Dramani Mahama on his
electoral victory on December 7.
In a statement issued by the Chinese President on Tuesday expressed the hope that under the leadership of President Mahama, Ghana would continuously make greater progress in development.
President Hu said China cherished the traditional friendship between the two countries and is willing to make joint efforts with Ghana to expand exchanges at various levels and deepen mutual beneficial cooperation in all fields.
“We will unceasingly promote China-Ghana friendly and cooperative relations to a new stage and bring more tangible benefits to our two countries and peoples,” he added.
In a statement issued by the Chinese President on Tuesday expressed the hope that under the leadership of President Mahama, Ghana would continuously make greater progress in development.
President Hu said China cherished the traditional friendship between the two countries and is willing to make joint efforts with Ghana to expand exchanges at various levels and deepen mutual beneficial cooperation in all fields.
“We will unceasingly promote China-Ghana friendly and cooperative relations to a new stage and bring more tangible benefits to our two countries and peoples,” he added.
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